Patricia Krenwinkel, 78, a former follower of Charles Manson convicted in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, was recommended for parole on Tuesday after more than 55 years in prison. It’s the third such recommendation she’s received in four years.
Krenwinkel is currently held at the California Institution for Women in Corona, Riverside County, where she has been serving a life sentence since entering the state prison system on April 28, 1971.
The recommendation sets up another potential clash with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has twice blocked her release, most recently less than a year ago. Krenwinkel was also recommended for parole in May 2022 and May 2025, and Newsom reversed both of those decisions.
In his October 2025 reversal, Newsom wrote that Krenwinkel “lacks the requisite insight she needs to be safely released,” even while acknowledging her efforts to rehabilitate herself over decades behind bars.
“When considered as a whole, the evidence shows that she currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time,” Newsom wrote.
The latest recommendation does not mean Krenwinkel will go free. The parole board must finish its review before the matter lands again on Newsom’s desk, where he can approve her release or block it for a third time.
Krenwinkel was 21 years old when she took part in two nights of killing with other members of Manson’s
